Knowing when to say when

At the time of writing this article, we lost a family member.? We lost my youngest daughter’s cat.? My daughter is a young adult woman but her cat has been with her for most of her life.? I think the vet told us the cat was near 80 years old.

One of the practices or principles I have been working on adopting is living in gratitude.? If you read enough about happy and wealthy people. There is a big difference between happy and wealthy and just wealthy. The happy and wealthy live a life of gratitude. I have to admit gratitude does change your perspective. It takes the grind out of the grind and provides fuel to achieve your goals.

There is something about this gratitude thing.? If I look at the actual events of the last 12 months or so, there is a lot to be sad about.? It started with the passing of my Mom, then moved on to my oldest daughter losing her dog, then we lost my wife's grandmother.? I should say my grandmother too.? She treated me as if I was her grandchild from the first day I met her. We lost my wife's uncle, her Godfather. You can also say he was my uncle too, his wisdom helped me tremendously. He also married us a little over 29 years ago.? After his funeral, we were talking about him and one fact was brought to light.? He had only married a handful of people during his long tenure as a pastor.? The amazing thing was all the couples he married were still married.? We all talked about the counseling he gave before the wedding and during the marriage and how important it was for all of us. The last on the list is my youngest daughter's cat.? Some may say that pets don’t count.? Honestly, I was one of them until I witnessed the hurt my family experienced during both losses.? I was probably the least connected to them but still felt an impact when they were gone.

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As we were heading to the vet to be with our daughter. My wife and I had a lot to reflect on since we moved back to Texas.? We had returned to spend more time with the people we love, only to see them starting to pass away.? Just as we were packing up to move, we were hit with the heartbreaking news that my mother had passed away.? While her illness had been long-term, it still hurt deeply.? On that short ride to the vet, we shared our grief and let out all the emotions that had been bubbling up.? We wanted to be there for our daughter and make sure she knew she wasn't alone in her sorrow.

The cat was arguably her best friend.? She has never said that but they were close.? I’m sure she has shared information with her, she has not shared with anyone else.? They essentially grew up together.? They often slept in the same bed.? Sometimes we questioned whose bed it really was.? The cat seemed to own the bed and allowed our daughter to sleep there. The cat’s health was declining for some time.? We could all see it and no one was willing to say much about it.? But it was my daughter that decided to take her to the vet.? She later told me, she knew what was more than likely to happen when she went to the vet that day.? She had been putting it off.

You may be thinking: A lot of sadness, not sure how it ties to gratitude.?

Instead of focusing on the loss of family members, I'm thankful for the gifts they gave me—the unending love of my mother, and how my wife's grandmother and uncle both treated me like family. I'm also thankful to be closer to family in general. My pets have taught my daughters how to love, care for, and share their lives, but the most important lesson came from my daughters themselves.

See my daughters taught a very important lesson during this process.?

Knowing when to say when.?

It is not about quitting or giving up.? It is about moving forward and towards your future self. They both decided to avoid reality was a selfish act disguised as caring for their pets. They talked through their process with each other and supported each other along the way. Each concluded, it was time to say when.

A part of living in gratitude is not turning bad into good but looking for the good, the lessons, in the bad. It is not always easy.? What I can say is living in gratitude is life-changing.

Here is a question for you.? What is it in your life that it is time to say When??

What have you been putting off that has prevented you from moving forward?

Have you seen the signs?? I’m sure the people around you do as well.? It's not a secret.? It's just not something anyone is willing or ready to address.? If you are not sure what they are, take a look at a couple of the articles I’ve written about roaches and elephants. They may help you to explore this part.

How to eat an Elephant?

Is that a roach on the wall??

Is it a habit that should be changed or replaced? It can be something literally killing you like eating food that is bad for you.?

Are you holding off on an uncomfortable conversation?

Whatever it is… It is time to say When…? Time will continue.? It is up to you to determine how it continues.???

I started learning how to live in gratitude about 7 months ago, and since then my life has changed drastically. In the last 12 months, I have rediscovered my entrepreneurial spirit, restarted my consulting business, begun my long-awaited real estate investing journey, and even published my writing. It has been an incredible journey - I have been writing articles for the past two years (off and on) and had been considering writing for 8 years before that. Every day I am thankful for the opportunities that have come my way and the incredible progress I have made.

I said When…

Saying when doesn’t always mean quitting… It could mean doing.? In any case, this message is for you…?

It is time to say When.

Until Next Time…